I went last September. It was my first trip back after 15 years.
If you haven't been in ten years, you'll definitely notice a difference - not necessarily in Disneyland itself, but in the whole area around Disneyland.
The biggest difference is that the parking lot is gone and California Adventure stands in its place. Also, Downtown Disney now serves as a buffer between the park and the Disneyland Hotel, which helps make the Hotel seem less isolated from the rest of the Resort. Also, the motel row along Harbor east of Disneyland has changed a lot and is much more nicely landscaped. All of the roads surrounding the Resort are also more nicely landscaped.
As far as in the park changes go...I guess Indiana Jones and the "New" Tomorrowland are both new within the last ten years.
Indy is right beside the Jungle Cruise and uses the same ride system as Dinosaur at DAK. It is very good.
I didn't like "New" Tomorrowland as much as "Old" Tomorrowland, especially the brown paint job on Space Mountain. The Honey I Shrunk the Audience movie from Epcot replaced Captain EO, Star Tours is the same, and the Subs have been closed. Rocket Rods, which replaced the People Mover, had problems from day-one and were closed permanently in 2000 or 2001. Space Mountain is currently closed until at least 2005 for a complete replacement of the track. Innoventions was put into the old Carosel of Progress/America Sings building - it's air conditioned but somewhere that I wouldn't spend a lot of time. Come to think of it, I believe that Star Tours might be the only thing in Tomorrowland that is the same as it would have been ten years ago.
As for the other lands:
On Main Street...I think the new Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is only a couple of years old. They've added a storyline to the show, where you're a new recruit in the Army during the Civil War and you get to meet Lincoln and watch the Gettysburg Address. It's mostly an excuse to show off some new 3-D sound technology.
In Adventureland...Indy is new, and The Swiss Family Robinson's Treehouse was replaced with Tarzan's Treehouse. I didn't go in it, so I don't know whether it was a good change or not.
Other than the closure of the Keel Boats after one of them capsized a few years ago, I can't think of any changes to Frontierland. Although, I think they may have done some updating to Tom Sawyer Island to make it "safer" (i.e. more lawsuit proof).
In New Orleans Square...The offerings in the Disney Gallery change frequently. I think it's currently an exhibit about Pirates of the Caribbean (both the ride and the movie). Other than that, I don't think there have been any major changes.
In Critter Country...The Country Bears are gone, replaced by Winnie the Pooh. It was still under construction when I was there, but I've heard it's about the same as WDW's.
In Fantasyland...The Carrosel was completely rebuilt last year from the ground up, and It's a Small World was restored to it's Grand Opening condition with a remastered soundtrack and a new-old white and blue paint job.
Were Fantasmic and Toon Town around the last time you were there? I've heard that Disneyland's version of each are much nicer than WDW's.
California Adventure is all new, quite enjoyable, and should be much less crowded than Disneyland (with both fewer people and wider walkways). Also, because it doesn't have a berm around it like Disneyland does, it doesn't seem to trap the heat as badly. It can feel a lot cooler than its big sister park, so I would advise spending the hottest part of the day in DCA (although the trade off for better air flow is less shade because the trees are still young).
As far as the attractions go:
California Screamin' was the smoothest roller coaster I've ever ridden.
Soarin' over California is a fun show, but I personally didn't find it as great as most people do (try to sit in the front row so you won't have other people's feet dangling in front of you) - I preferred Screamin' and GRR.
Grizzly River Run is a fun raft ride and a great way to beat the heat.
If your kids are under 10, they'll probably love Flik's Fun Fair (themed to the Bug's Life characters). Beware: the bumper cars move so slowly you'll probably be jostled more heavily waiting in line than you will on the ride. Also, Heimlich's Chew-Chew train is such a short ride, it isn't worth it to stand in any kind of line for it (for what it is, it's fun - especially the watermelon scented mist and the vanilla smells in the animal cracker box), just as it gets good, it's over. I'd say the enjoyment factor of Flik's decreases the older you are. It's wonderfully themed, but the rides are pretty much for the kids.
The Aladdin musical show is supposed to be good - I don't know, it wasn't playing yet when I was there. There are no Fastpasses available for it (this is new within the last couple of weeks), so they advise lining up 45-30 minutes before showtime to get a good seat.
If you like Disney movies, the Animation Building is a great place to spend some time. It has everything from a show about developing a character, to The Walt Disney Story, to a fun area where you can try your hand at voicing a scene from a movie or take a test to find out which Disney character you are most like (I think I was Lumiere).
Golden Dreams is a movie about the history of California starring Whoopi Goldberg. If that sounds enjoyable to you, you'll probably enjoy it, if not, you probably won't. Personally, I saw it once, and that was enough.
I didn't go into the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail area, but if your kids are young, they'll probably have fun and burn off some energy while you sit and have a churro.
Things have definitely changed a lot in recent years at Disneyland. Have a great trip.
Nephew and Grandma will be staying in Vancouver for 3 more weeks
